Hot swap capability refers to the ability to insert and remove circuit boards from a system without powering down the whole system. Several hot swap schemes are disclosed in the prior art employing mechanical, electrical and electromechanical means to allow circuit board insertion and extraction. Many schemes use staggered pin lengths to control power connection and disconnection and circuitry to connect and disconnect output drivers from control and signal buses. By using staggered pin lengths on the hot swappable cards, the circuit can detect a hot-insertion or hot-extraction and generate a corresponding signal. In a preferred embodiment, a circuit card is employed which uses three different pin lengths. Two of the pin lengths, long and short, provide the inputs to the state activated one shot with extended pulse timing for hot-swap applications.